Lille Defender Flattered By Manchester United And AC Milan Links

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Manchester United and AC Milan transfer target Simon Kjaer has expressed his delighted at being linked with ai???big clubsai???.

The 25-year-old started his footballing career at Midtjylland, before moving to Italian club Palermo in 2008. Kjaer was highly rated at the start of his career and even made his international debut at the age of 20. After enjoying two good seasons at Palermo, Kjaer moved to Wolfsburg, where he endured a difficult relationship with manager Felix Magath during his second season at the club. He eventually joined Roma on loan in 2011, but produced some poor performances during his stint at the Italian capital. Roma decided not to sign him permanently at the end of his loan spell and he moved back to Wolfsburg, where his relationship with Magath did improve during the 2012-13 season. But Kjaer failed to deliver consistently and made too many errors on the pitch. Eventually Wolfsburg decided to cut their losses and sold him to Lille at the start of this season.

This move to France has rejuvenated Simon Kjaer and he is now close to fulfilling the promise he showed at the start of this career. Kjaer was signed to replace Aurelien Chedjou, who joined Galatasaray, and the Danish international has stepped up to fill in the big shoes. He, along with his center back partner Marko Basa, has been one of the best defenders in the league. This has propelled Lille up to third in the table and they currently boast of having the second best defence in the league, behind PSG. Kjaerai??i??s positioning has improved greatly and he has cut down on the defensive errors that was part of his game earlier.

Kjaerai??i??s improvement hasnai??i??t gone unnoticed and he has drawn interest from both Manchester United and AC Milan. The Red Devils are expected to spend heavily in the summer following their disappointing season. Strengthening Unitedai??i??s ageing defence will be David Moyesai??i?? prime concern in the summer. Nemanja Vidic has already announced his departure, while Patrice Evra and Rio Ferdinand are approaching the fag end of their careers at Old Trafford. Signing a center-back will be of utmost importance and Manchester United have scouted Simon Kjaer as a possible replacement for Vidic.

Italian giants AC Milan, who like Manchester United have struggled massively this season, are also expected to bring in fresh faces into the side in the summer. Philippe Mexesai??i?? future at the club has been in doubts and the 32-year-old has also struggled with his fitness. Milan will need a proper replacement for the Frenchman at the center of the defence and they are interested in making a move for Kjaer in the summer.

Meanwhile, Simon Kjaer has expressed his delight at being linked with the big clubs, although he has played down the chances of moving in the summer.

“It is of course always flattering to be linked with big clubs.

“But I am not wasting my thoughts on rumours about other clubs.

“I am spending all my efforts and keep my focus entirely on reaching my goal that we will qualify for the Champions League next season.

“For me, it is a sign that I have produced a great season and particularly that I have been very stable.

“In case I had played a few poor matches, I would probably not have been high in the ranking.

Kjaerai??i??s current contract with the French club runs till 2017, but Lille are known to sell their players at the right price. A bid of around ai??i??10 million should be enough to convince the French side to let go of Simon Kjaer in the summer.